Virginia Parents Plead Guilty to Locking Kids in Room, Feeding Them Through “Gate”

A Spotsylvania County, Virginia, couple admitted locking their three small children in a room 24 hours a day and feeding them through a homemade gate.

Scott Suggs, 28, and Brandy Kangas, 36, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of felony child neglect.

In December, authorities found the couple's children -- a 17-month-old boy, and girls ages 3 and 4 -- locked in a messy room stained with human waste after receiving an anonymous tip about child abuse and neglect. A television in the room was on all the time.

Authorities immediately removed the children with a key found in the home.

Suggs and Kangas were arrested at the scene.

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Spotsylvania Co. Sheriff's Office

"This was an abhorrent situation that the children were living in and it breaks my heart to see this kind of treatment of small children," Spotsylvania County Sheriff Roger L. Harris said in a release Friday. "Saving these kids from this type of neglect is why all of us are involved in public service."

The Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office says the children lacked social skills when found. They are now thriving with foster parents but are still afraid of closed doors.

Suggs and Kangas received a suspended sentence of six years, 10 years of good behavior and indefinite supervised probation. They were also ordered to comply with the foster care plan and may not have unsupervised contact with the children.

Safe Harbor Children's Advocacy Center is a program in which professionals determine and recommend the best services for victims of child abuse and neglect. To donate, click here. Donations cannot be made to specific children or families.

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